Herman named 2026 Mother of the Year

By MICAH HENRY

Becky Herman Dupuis wrote that her mother is “Captain of the Ship” in her family.

“She was the rock we didn’t even realize we were standing on,” Becky related.

Becky, 57, wrote the winning essay in The Times’ annual Mother of the Year contest about her mom, Pat Herman, 81, of the Sugar Loaf Community.

“I feel unworthy. I’m very humbled that I won it,” Pat commented.

Raising three girls (Becky and her sisters, Christy and Melinda) proved to be very rewarding but also challenging, at times. Ray, Pat’s husband, was a hard-working sawmill man at Herman Brothers Sawmill.

Ray was 22 and Pat was 19 when their first daughter, Melinda, was born. Becky followed only four years later, with Christy born about 10 years after Melinda.

A young couple, Ray and Pat loved to spend time with their girls and do family activities.

“She would ride bikes with us and play with us. We had the best time,” Becky recalled. “We would roller skate, play basketball.”

“I’ve always been close with all my girls,” Pat explained.

“We still take a trip once a year, all four of us,” said Becky. Their journeys have taken them far and wide, to such exotic destinations as the Florida Keys, St. John, North Captiva, and other warmer climes in recent years.

The trips continue a tradition the family has always had, exploring near and far.

“We’ve taken road trips all over the U.S.,” Becky said. When the girls were growing up, Ray and Pat enjoyed taking them on day trips to spots all over North Carolina.

Among their favorite places to visit were spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The girls always loved it when they would drive through a tunnel, as they rolled down their windows and shouted to hear the echoes from the dark stone passageways.

Becky said her mom’s love and companionship helped immensely when she was in college, having a very tough junior year at Appalachian State. Pat drove back and forth to Boone much of that year to take Becky back and forth to class and be an emotional support for her. Becky said that got her through the difficult year.

The family’s tight bond became even more important when they lost Ray suddenly in a logging accident, when a tree limb fell on him about seven years ago. They rallied and, as always, were there for each other, with the sisters helping their mom and the rest of the family grieve and cope and carry on.

Pat joked that she and Ray wanted a son, but had three girls. The tables were turned when grandchildren started coming along — only boys were born to the family for several years! In all, there are 11 great-grandsons.

Becky has three children: Garrett, Skyler, and Rachel. Becky, too, is now a grandmother with a young grandson and another on the way.

“It’s been wonderful, watching the girls have children,” Pat said.

Pat summarized her mothering philosophy thus, “You have to remember to just be there and be part of their world,” she said. “Your role changes when you become a mother and a grandmother. I just try to do my best. You love each other and you grow together. A child that feels loved feels safe.”